


Consequences

by CalyRose



Category: The Nanny Affair (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25159138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalyRose/pseuds/CalyRose
Summary: Sam has to deal with the fallout from the company picnic.
Relationships: Sam Dalton/Main Character (The Nanny Affair)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So it's been quite a few years since I've written anything, however, after playing the most recent chapter of The Nanny Affair (a guilty pleasure) this came into my head. It's a little rough and unbetaed. All mistakes are mine.

Kara turned away from Robin after getting her food order her heart aching. She was falling in love with Sam slowly but surely, at the end of the day though she was the one going to be left with nothing. Maybe Robin was right and she should quit while she was ahead. Her brown eyes flicked over to where Mason Sr and Vivian were with the boys and her heart broke a little more. She didn’t want to leave them but perhaps it was for the best.

Putting on a brave face Kara made herself enjoy the rest of the picnic with Mason and Mickey ignoring the looks Robin sent her way. Finally, the day drew to a close and she said goodbye to the boys taking the chance to stay behind with Sam.

Robin scowled at her, “Just remember what I said, Kara,” he commented before getting into the limo with Sofia and the boys.

Sam glanced at her, “What did he mean by that?”

Kara looked away from him, “Nothing.”

Sam frowned clearly not convinced but let it drop for the moment. Together the two of them moved along to start cleaning but his dark eyes glanced at Kara. He hadn’t been around here much today but something had clearly happened between her and Robin. His mouth tightened into a thin line. He hoped Robin hadn’t crossed the line with her today as he had warned him against multiple times. However, with the way Kara was looking and acting he didn’t think that was the issue, at least not today.

“Did you have fun today?” he finally asked.

A smile broke across her face, “I think the boys had fun.”

There was always so much affection in her voice when she spoke of his sons. He wondered once more why the universe would be so cruel as to gift him with a woman who could possibly make him fall in love again, only to do it at the worst possible moment. He has a fiancee, not to mention his position in the company was reliant on the factor that he proves he was steadfast, reliable and no longer adrift as he had been when his wife had died. “I’m glad but that’s not what I asked,” he said with a smile turning his attention back to the conversation at hand.

“Yes, but I missed you.”

He smiled again but it faded when he noticed her grow quiet again. “Kara, is everything alright?”

Kara’s eyes flew to his. _Damn Sam Dalton for knowing her so well._ Making a decision she drew in a breath, “Robin talked to me….he told me to stay away from you. For my sake, because he believed **I** would be the one to get hurt.”

Sam grew still as he watched the woman before him, watched how she avoided his gaze. He had come to notice she only did that when she was hurting, and more often than not anymore she was hurting over him. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him there was nothing there, but he didn’t believe me. That’s when he told me I should stay away from you because you have responsibilities. That you are an engaged man and in line to be CEO of a major Fortune 500 company.” Kara shrugged fiddling with the bag that she still held and refusing to look at Sam. She knew if she did there was a good possibility that she would lose it and start to cry. “I’m just the nanny.”

He reached out and grasped her chin making her look at him, “You are _not_ just the nanny, Kara.” He heaved a sigh and frowned, “However...as much as I hate to admit it, and will do everything in my power to prevent it, he is probably right.”

Kara pulled away sharply her eyes flying up to his. Betrayal and hurt shined in their depths. In that instant, Sam knew he was so close, so very close to losing her. She had already made one comment back during his engagement party that maybe she should quit. He was a selfish man, he didn’t want to lose her, didn’t want her to leave.

“The thing is, Kara, when I look at you – my parents, Sofia, the company – it all just fades away. All that matters is you,” he brushed his knuckles against her cheek only to have her pull away.

“We’ve been doing this song and dance I started, Sam.” She took a deep breath, a mistake as tears slowly slipped down her cheeks. “At first it was just physical attraction between us, it sucked that you were engaged but I could handle it. I’m a big girl. But...” she impatiently wiped away her tears and looked up at him, “it became more. _We_ became more. I fell in love with you, Sam.”

Sam stares are her stunned, of all the things that he had expected her to say, that was the last thing. _She loved him?_ “Kara,” he started only to have her shake her head at him.

“No, Sam. I can’t do this anymore,” she motioned to the space between them. “I already hurt because I see you with Sofia and wish it was me. I already hurt because we have to hide every time we want to kiss. I hurt because I want to be the woman you’re marrying and as time went on I had hoped maybe things would change. Especially after meeting your parents. But nothing has and so now I have to take care of myself.” Kara took a deep shuddering breath, her heart feeling like it was breaking. “I quit.”


	2. Consequences Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hadn't planned on continuing this but between the requests that I do and my own ideas bouncing around in my head, I had to. There will be at least one more chapter after this, although it will probably be a little longer to come out than this one due to work life.

Sam stared at Kara in shock. _She quit?!_ “Kara, please,” he reached out to her only to have her pull back. In the time he had known her he had never known Kara to cry, and to think the first time he saw her tears it was because of _him._

“Please what, Sam?” she asked her voice breaking. “Please be your mistress? Be the other woman? Watch you marry Sofia so you can have a job that is supposed to be your namesake but your father is determined to withhold it until you fucking prove that you’re ready?” She smiled sadly, “There is no room for me in that life, Sam.”

“Kara,” Sam clenched his hands into fists to keep himself from touching her or reaching out to her. “Can we please talk when I get home? Before you leave? Please, if not for me or what is between us but for Mickey and Mason. You know they’re going to be heartbroken that you’re leaving.” He knew it was cheap-shot using the boys but it was the truth and he was going to do everything in his power to keep her. His heart wanted her at his side instead of Sofia, but his head reminded him that without Sofia and what she brought to the marriage that he would never be CEO. He just...he needed time to figure everything out..time he wasn’t sure Kara was willing to give.

Running a hand through her hair Kara looked around, this was not the place to have this conversation but she wasn’t sure it would be a good idea to have it back at home either. She wanted to stick to her guns, to quit, and not look back. She hurt enough as it is and dammit she was supposed to be better than this, she wasn’t supposed to fall in love….and why would Sam even entertain thoughts of her when she couldn’t bring what he needed to the table to make him CEO.

“Fine,” she said tiredly, emotionally wrung out. “You win. But right now I’m going to leave and I don’t want you to follow me. I don’t want to see or hear from you until later tonight when the boys are down for the night. You get one chance, Sam.” Kara held up a slim finger looking at him and the exhaustion and pain and sorrow on her face made him wince, “One chance to make me change my mind. If Sofia is there than I guess I’ll be getting those boxes out of my closet and I’ll be starting to pack.” With that ultimatum she dropped the bag she had been holding this whole time and walked away from him. In some deep part of heart, she hoped it wasn’t for the last time. Tonight...one way or the other things would be decided.

Sam watched her walk away, her back was rigid as if she was trying to keep everything in. All the pain he had caused her if he were any better of a man he would let her go but he was finding out that he was a very selfish man. At least when it came to Kara Schuyler. He checked the time on his watch and blew out a breath. If he was going to have any chance of salvaging that special spark he had found then he had a lot to do in very little time. The very first would be talking with parents, or more specifically his father.

* * *

Kara wandered a little after leaving the park and unsurprisingly ended up at the same diner that Sam had taken her to...that felt like a lifetime ago now. Unsure what she was doing, why she was coming here instead of going back to ho- she cut that line of thinking off. Better not to think at the moment, better to not dwell on the fact she would be disappointed again when she got back and have her heart broken.

Taking a seat at a booth far to the back, and on the opposite side from where she and Sam had sat that night, she ordered just a coffee. She didn’t want to go anywhere else and being here was better than just wandering around the city. So there she sat and sipped at her coffee desperately trying to keep her tears at bay and cursing the day she ever set eyes on Mr. Sam Dalton.

She didn’t know how long she sat there before her phone rang, startled Kara pulled it from her pocket and grimaced at the name that flashed across the screen. Robin.

“Hello?”

“Where are you two?” demanded the voice on the other side of the line.

“I don’t know where he is, Robin, I left him at the park. I’m currently at a little diner sipping coffee and trying to figure out what the best way would be to ask my best friend if I can move in with her while I apartment hunt.” At the utter silence from him, a slightly bitter smile crossed her lips, “Cat got your tongue, Robin?”

“You quit?” shock echoed through his voice. “I just told you to watch out for yourself and remember what I told you. I didn’t tell you to quit.”

“No one tells me what to do, Robin,” Kara replied sharply. “Least of all you or Sofia. As far as my relationship, non-relationship, or job is between myself and Sam and maybe, _maybe_ the boys. It is _not_ your business.”

“It became my business when I found the two of you in the lab together, doing more than just ‘working’” was the harsh reply.

Kara sighed, her anger draining out of her as quickly as it had come, leaving her feeling tired again. “Robin, I appreciate you somewhat looking out for me. I am telling the truth though that I am alone and I left Sam at the park. I assumed he would head straight back.”

“Well he didn’t,” Robin snapped before gentling his voice, “look I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you but right now the twins are giving Sofia hell.”

Kara smirked, “Well considering the factor she’s probably told Mickey to stop whatever he is doing and is actually speaking to Mason I wouldn’t doubt it. I wasn’t lying when I said she was terrible with the twins, she can’t even tell them apart.” She sighed and dug into her pocket for some money to leave for the coffee. “Either way, I’m on my way back. I’ll be there shortly. Just don’t bring up anything in front of the boys. They deserve to hear I’m leaving from Sam and myself.”

“Agreed,” and the line went dead.

Kara stood and glanced around the diner her eyes resting on the booth that she and Sam had taken that night. The night where they had pretended to be newlyweds for their waitress. It had been a lovely night, one she would cherish wherever she went after she left.

* * *

Sam blew out a breath as he entered his parent’s penthouse, hoping they were both home. While his marrying Sofia was a dream come true for his mother it was his father that thought it best he marry her to bring her company to merge with theirs. In truth they didn’t need it, their stocks were soaring thanks to their most recent inventions and interests. Marrying Sofia was what was best for the _company_ not him or his sons.

He was in luck, both his parents were home and no Robin to be seen either.

“Sam? Is everything alright?” Vivian questioned worriedly. “The boys are ok aren’t they?”

“Mickey and Mason are fine, Mom,” Sam hurried to assure his mother. “I came because I needed to talk to you and dad.” He took a deep breath and thought of Kara, her smile, her laugh, the starry look she had in her eyes whenever she looked at him. Even if his father decided he was unfit to be CEO of Dalton Enterprises to never see the look he had this afternoon from Kara it would be worth it. He never ever wanted to be the reason to see such brokenness in her again. “I came to tell you I refuse to marry, Sofia.”

“You _what_?!” the anger from his father and surprise from his mother was immediate. He just hoped he would have time to explain everything to them, call off his engagement to Sofia and get home in time to see Kara and beg for her to give him another chance. A real one this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was planning on ending this story with this chapter. Yeah, that didn't happen. There will be one more chapter after this. All I have to say is each chapter seems to get longer and longer...

Kara braced herself for accusations, mild or otherwise, from both Robin and Sofia when she stepped off the elevator. Instead, she was greeted by Mickey and Mason.

“Kara! You’re home!” Mason, always the more affectionate of the twins, threw his arms around her and she smiled hugging him back. His brother was just a step behind him.

“Hello to you too,” she laughed. “Have you been driving your Uncle Robin and Aunt Sofia crazy?” Kara paused and took a closer look at the two. “Mickey, why are you wearing Mason’s glasses?”

Mickey giggled and his brother merely grinned widely, “Uncle Robin can usually tell us apart and he lets Aunt Sofia know who is who...but we changed clothes and Mason let me have his glasses.”

“I imagine you probably had to do more than that to fool your Uncle Robin.”

Both boys beamed at her. “We switched mannerisms too. Mickey pretended to act like me and I pretended to act like Mickey,” Mason explained.

Kara laughed again, feeling lighter than she had in what felt like years when in reality it had only been a few short weeks. Leave it to the twins to cheer her up. On the heels of that thought came another... _I don’t want to leave them!_ That decision was out of her hands now, though. Everything rested with Sam.

“Go to your room you two and change back, mannerisms included!” she ordered with a smile.

As the twins moved to obey her Kara shook her head and entered the living room where Sofia and Robin were. Robin’s eyes flicked behind her as if expecting Sam to be there as well. Well tough luck, she’d been telling the truth when she had spoken to him on the phone saying last she knew Sam was still at the park.

“Where were you?” Sofia demanded. “It’s your job to watch the children, Kara. You can hardly do that if you are off gallivanting around who knows where doing who knows what. I know it’s hard to understand but Robin, Sam and I are very busy people. We need you here to watch the children so we can take care of the business.”

“I’m sorry, Sofia. I had something that I needed to do after the picnic. It came up suddenly so I didn’t have time to let anyone know.” All perfectly true, even if that ‘something’ was her needing to get her head in the right space to deal with Robin, Sofia, and the boys. Especially the boys. Mason and Mickey didn’t need to be involved in the messy business that was her and Sam’s relationship.

As if her thoughts conjured them the twins came out of their room dressed properly and Mason had his glasses back on. At the same time, Sofia stood with a sniff, “Well if Sam isn’t coming back any time soon I do have some other things that need to be done before dinner tonight.” Kara watched her leave, knowing that more than likely tonight would be her last night.

Forcing her feelings down and ignoring Robin’s pointed looks that said he wanted to talk to her some more she focused her attention on the boys, “So who wants to make a rubber egg? It’ll take a couple of days to completely become rubber but we can start today.” It was an experiment that wouldn’t require her to be there for it to finish. Just start.

Sam had told her to wait and she had given her word, however, she wasn’t expecting anything to change. He would come home beg her to stay, to give him a little more time. This time...this time she wouldn’t. For her sanity and the well being of her heart, she had to leave him before she fell even deeper.

* * *

“Why exactly are you refusing to marry Sofia?” demanded Mason Sr. “What fool notion have you got into your head this time? I thought you had finally seen the truth in that you and Sofia marrying is the best thing for everyone.”

Sam shook his head aware that while his mother had not said anything she was watching him closely. She was the one he had to convince because she could help convince his father. Unfortunately, she had termed his engagement to Sofia a dream come true. In all honesty, it was anything but that, at least for him.

“No, Dad, it’s not the best thing for everyone. It’s not what’s best for me or Mason and Mickey. The only people it’s best for is you and mom and the Russos. You want to merge the two companies by us marrying. You think that because I had a wild youth and am a widower that I’m not fit to run the company.” Sam gave his father a look that dared him to contradict

“This is about Kara, isn’t it?” Vivian asked gently. “I’m not blind, Samuel, nor am I deaf. You care for her don’t you?”

Mason frowned, “The nanny? I thought you had sown your wild oats already. I never would have figured you to go for the nanny. Robin perhaps, but not you.”

Sam started pacing frustrated. He more than cared for Kara, he loved her. Perhaps he had loved her from the very first time she put the boys down with barely any trouble. He knew he loved her though when she had stopped the boys’ prank at his engagement party. The way she loved them and cared for them and at the same respected him and cared for him despite how much of an asshole he was at times to her.

“Forget about Kara for one minute and let me ask you why personally Sofia would be a good match for me and my sons? I’m not talking about what she brings the table professionally, I’m talking why should I marry her and make her the stepmother to your grandchildren?” Sam stopped his pacing and stood looking at his parents.

“She’s your perfect match, sweetheart,” Vivian protested.

“In business? Maybe. In our personal lives? No.” He sat down in a chair across from his parents and leaned forward in earnest, “Dad, you made it sound like have feelings for Kara is ridiculous. Why? Because she looks after the boys? You saw them at the club, they adore her. What’s more, is she adores them right back.”

His father waved a hand as if to dismiss everything Sam had just said, “You can have your fun with the nanny, son, but if you want to be the CEO you need to marry Sofia and bring in Russo Industries. It will be your legacy to Mickey and Mason.”

Sam clenched his hands tight together, so tight that his knuckles whitened. _Have his fun?_ He jumped at the touch of his mother’s hand on his. “Why don’t you tell us why, dear, you don’t think Sofia is a good match? Your father and I promise to fully listen to what you have to say.”

He looked up at his mother and nodded. Taking a deep breath he delved into his issues with Sofia. “When Sofia proposed I said yes because I didn’t believe I would ever find love again after Marianne. You know she was my everything. With Sofia, I believed that at least the boys would have a mother figure.” Sam turned his attention to his second-born son’s namesake. “Add on to the fact that you said unless I married Sofia or found some way of bringing Russo Industries to merge with Dalton Enterprises I would never be CEO, Robin would.”

“We know all that,” Mason Sr said impatiently. “Get to the part where you want to break your engagement to Sofia for your nanny.”

“Dad, I told you at the club Kara is more than just the nanny. She’s family to the boys and me. You said yourself how well they pay attention to her. However, this isn’t just about Kara – yes she made me see that marrying Sofia while it may be the best thing for the company is not the best for the boys. Or me.”

“Why not, honey? I thought she loved the boys,” Vivian questioned.

“It’s an act she puts on, Mom. Sofia doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body and the boys are miserable around her. For example, I had told Kara weeks before that she was allowed to take the boys to Coney Island, Sofia tried to forbid it. She tried to order Kara to take them to an art gallery because it would be educational. Kara still took them to Coney Island and from what the boys told me afterward is that during the day Kara peppered their time with random science facts. She still educated the boys while at the same time allowing them to kids.”

Both parents frowned at that, their soft spot was their grandchildren and they loved to spoil them. They were also quite well aware that an art gallery for two hyperactive boys would be the worst thing to do.

Seeing the expression on his parents' faces Sam forged on, “Not to mention she can never get Mason and Mickey straight.” When his father opened his mouth to say something Sam cut him off, “She doesn’t even _try_ , dad. All the energy she puts in to running the business or helping me with mine? She doesn’t put one ounce of that into learning the boys.”

With a sigh, Sam stood and paced towards the mantle that held pictures of his family. “You missed much of my childhood, Dad because you were working all the time. I understand that I don’t resent you for it. I had Mom after all. However, the boys aren’t so lucky. Their mother died five years ago, and now I’m engaged to a woman who doesn’t even care about them. That isn’t fair to them.”

Sam turned away from the mantle, while he’d been speaking his mind had been racing. He had gone on about the boys, but not himself because he knew the boys were the easiest way to get his parents to agree to end the engagement. The thought of Kara no longer being in his life...he didn’t know if he could deal with it.

“You’re in love with her,” came his mother’s soft voice. It wasn’t a question, more a statement.

“Yes. I knew the night of the engagement party. The boys were planning some kind of prank on Sofia, I don’t know what I didn’t ask. Kara stopped it. She has made it clear to me and the boys she doesn’t like Sofia but because of me, she stopped the prank. What struck me more than anything is the boys were worried that Kara was still mad at them when they went to leave. All she did was hug them, tell them no, and that while she and I loved their creativity that we just needed a night off. She didn’t tell them to grow up, she didn’t reprimand them in any way other than that it was a big night for me and it was about respecting me. Kara could have let them gone through with the prank and I would never have known that she had helped them.” Sam turned back to his parents. “I came here to ask for your permission to end the engagement to Sofia and still become CEO...however if I don’t have that permission I will still end the engagement and Robin can have Dalton Enterprises.”

His father made a strangled sound and looked like he was ready to throttle his son, his mother on the other hand looked thoughtful. “Mason, while this engagement might have been a dream come true, perhaps we were too rash.” When Vivian’s husband opened his mouth to respond she cut him off, “In terms of the office I’ve always left things up to you. However, I do believe this competition between our sons for CEO is ridiculous. You know quite well Samuel is a better choice than Robin. _You_ are the one who raised him to be the CEO. Raised him to believe he will take it over one day. If Marianne were still alive would Sam still become CEO?”

Mason opened his mouth to deny the claim but couldn’t. Neither his son nor his wife would believe him. “Yes, it’s true. But she isn’t alive, and Sam was too adrift to become the leader of a Fortune 500 company.”

“So you’re saying you wouldn’t grieve for me if I died?” Vivian asked sharply.

Sam hid a smile at the discomfort in his father’s face. He loved both his parents dearly and yet at home it was his mother who ruled the roost, not his father. “Of course I would,” Mason said exasperatedly. “However I’m already the CEO, Sam is not.”

“And it wouldn’t upset the running of the company to suddenly have the CEO grieving? Sam has done his grieving, he will always grieve and miss Marianne but she has been gone from us for five years now. How long are you going to punish him? Samuel has done everything you ever asked of him, we’ve always held him to different standards than Robin. I saw the way he lit up talking about how Kara was family at the club.”

“Father, please...” was all he said, frustration and sadness in his voice.

Mason Sr sighed and gazed between his son and wife. It was hard enough to go against his wife but when she was ready to do battle on behalf of one of their sons it was nigh impossible.

Sam watched his father closely, he could tell that he was ready to give in, “You’ve seen her at the club and the picnic, you’ve heard, I’m sure, the praises my sons give her. She’s an intelligent, amazing woman, who loves my children as much as I do. If you don’t give me your blessing, fine, but I’m begging you to please do so.”

“And how do you expect this to work with Sofia? You know she will not be pleased,” was all Mason Sr said. In that instant, Sam knew he had his father’s blessing.

“I will tell her tonight after dinner after I have put Mason and Mickey to bed.” He only hoped that by that time it wouldn’t be too late to talk to Kara. He didn’t know how much time she was going to give him. Surely if he didn’t get a chance to talk to her tonight she wouldn’t be gone in the morning...would she? “I don’t want to cause a scene in front of the boys. As for the companies merging, well I think that’s something you and I need to talk about at a later date when other matters aren’t at hand.”

His father sighed, “You have my blessing, and obviously your mother’s too.” Mason frowned at his wife who merely smiled serenely back at him. Vivian liked Kara, she was a breath of fresh air and as much as Sofia and Sam would have made a wonderful union she could see that now Kara was in her son’s life he would be extremely unhappy. The fact that he had threatened to break the engagement to Sofia anyways, no matter how hollow a threat it was (a fact she certain her husband wasn’t aware of) made Vivian herself realize that sometimes life doesn’t go the way you wish. It hadn’t years ago when Sam had married Marianne and then lost her, and it wasn’t now.

On impulse, Sam kissed his mother’s cheek wrapping her in a tight hug that said everything he couldn’t say out loud. Vivian smiled, “You’re welcome, sweetheart, and I love you too. I sincerely hope she makes you as happy as you seem to believe she will.”

“Of that, I have no doubt, mother.” With a grateful smile in his father’s direction who merely waved it away, Sam left his parent’s home and hurried on to his own. It had been a long day, and it would possibly, probably, be an even longer night. In the end, though he hoped it would all be worth it and the woman he had come to love would be patient just a little while longer.


End file.
